05. 5.2008

CrunchGear's May Meetup: A NYC can't-miss event

Almost a year ago, I reported on CrunchGear’s first birthday party; it was a quirky and predictable mix of beer and gear. The guys had a good show of fans, but altogether we barely filled the second-floor.

I'm drawing my own conclusion that alongside our own personal and professional online networks, both tech and social scenes have converged in popular, near-trendy ways. The result in this case? A pretty hot CrunchGear party. The line to get into Manhattan’s Red Sky wrapped around the block and the party extended to all three levels of the bar. Passersby must have gotten a good chuckle as so many of the patient partygoers had iPhones in hand and were typing away as they waited to go inside.

The large crowd is definitely evidence of CrunchGear’s increasingly excellent coverage of the gadget market and their rapidly growing audience. But, the fanfare and excitement about the event and those who were waitlisted and still showed, speaks more to the mainstream's love for gadgetry, and the social networking phenomenon that has blown out the tech business. I met several interesting folks who I've "friended" through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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Posted by chrissie Category: culture | current affairs
Tags: party
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04.24.2008

Let's celebrate women in tech

There aren't many things that annoy me about writing about technology for a living. Having permission to ring the founder of Postsecret and ask him about his vision for the site? Not horrendous. Being offered new gadgets to trial before they are even on sale? I can deal with it. Writing about a fun topic I enjoy learning more about as time goes by? Two words spring to mind: cushy gig.

But one thing is hard to cope with, and that's being patronised on a regular basis.

When you say you're a woman who writes about technology, you still receive looks of astonishment or disapproval, even in 2008. When you put out a call for technology press releases of interest to women, you'll still be inundated with cellulite zappers and baby monitors (what, women don't like games consoles, laptops and cellphones?) even in 2008.

Things are getting better, and one of the reasons I love Popgadget is that it's woman-friendly - which doesn't mean it features pictures of half-naked women straddling new technology while giving seductive looks to the camera. Unlike some places I could mention (but won't).

The number of tech-savvy women does thankfully seem to be growing, online at least, so here's my shout-out to some of my favorites:

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Posted by diane Category: culture | current affairs | highlights
Tags: women in tech
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04.23.2008

Would you text your vote for President?

presidential%20hopefuls.jpg

According to a survey by Samsung Telecommunications America, quoted on textually.org, more than half of Democrats, Republicans and Independents would be happy to text their vote for the next President.

I like the idea of voting being made simpler - I'm sure we've all heard that famous fact that American Idol pulls in more voters than national elections, perhaps because you can vote without leaving your house, or perhaps because presidential hopefuls are rarely as entertaining as even the worst Idol rejects.

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Posted by diane Category: culture | current affairs
Tags: election
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04.22.2008

Whimsy & Spice: Babygadget editor's new food business now selling on Etsy

Jenna, our art director and editor of Babygadget, started a new food business this spring with her pastry chef husband, Mark. Whimsy & Spice, Brooklyn Confectioners, makes "handmade sweets with a dash of spice," which you can buy at the Brooklyn Flea on Sundays, and now also in their Etsy shop. Lavender cookies, chocolate and caramel marshmallows, espresso brownies, and chocolate chilli cashew biscotti are some of the edible creations you can now buy online.

Jenna and Mark keep a blog called "Sweet Fine Day" in which they chronicle their experience in launching this new business, as well as their daily food adventures (along with beautiful photos of dishes Mark whips up in their kitchen) and life in Brooklyn with their two young daughters.

Posted by Hoyun Category: Popgadget | current affairs | eat/drink
Tags: cookies
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04.18.2008

Sims sells 100 million units -- and owes me money

The Sims Is A Global Cultural Phenomenon In 60 Countries And 22 Languages Thanks To Players of The Sims Everywhere

That's the headline of The Sims' (a label of Electronic Arts) press release today, celebrating 100 million units sold around the world.

As my little girl, Mackenzie, is addicted to Sims and owns EVERY game, starting with the first one sold in 2000, I figure EA could spread the joy and send us a royalty check.

Sixty percent of gamers are girls, and EA was one of the first companies to clue into this. By allowing users to create their own characters and worlds, it's created a wonderful virtual world for my baby. She loves designing new houses and cities for her lucky Sims family. Her latest game? Sims2 Pets.

While I don't think a check is forthcoming, as a special thank you to players of The Sims, you can visit The Sims 2 on April 16th to download a "complimentary exclusive outfit for your Sims in honor of this milestone."

Party down, Sims!

Posted by Evan Category: current affairs | gaming
Tags: sims
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04.17.2008

What does mobile gaming have to do with saving mountain gorillas?

It turns out that this mobile game, Silverbackers, has everything to do with gorilla conservation. Go to the site to download the game and learn about these awesome creatures living in the forests of Central Africa - their population totals just over 700. Here's the interesting part: these gorillas are endangered because they live in a habitat rich in Coltan, a mineral used for the production of cell phones. What better way to bring attention to this problem than through our cell phones?

silverbackers.game2.jpg

Read more about the history of Silverbackers at textually.org.

04. 8.2008

Waterfalls come to New York City

I visited NYC for the first time last November, and let's face it - that city has everything. Well, almost everything. While New York state can lay claim to some stunning water scenery, the water in Manhattan has always been a little... flat. I mean, it just kind of lies there.

So why not bring waterfalls to New York? That's what New York's Public Art Fund thought, and that's what they are about to do.

From July to October this year, you'll be able to see man-made cascading water features in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and on the north shore of Governors Island. The specially-commissioned installations will be 90 to 120-feet tall, operate from 7 AM to 10 PM, seven days a week, and will be lit after sunset for an even more impressive effect. What's more, the waterfalls have been designed to protect water quality and aquatic life and could apparently bring an extra $55 million into New York's tourism economy (they certainly make me think about a return trip...)

Here's what the waterfalls will look like when they are up and running:

Via Pretty In the City and NYC Waterfalls.

Posted by diane Category: culture | current affairs | entertainment
Tags: new york
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04. 4.2008

Become an instant Internet entreprenuer thanks to Ponoko and co.

The Internet lets us do all manner of things: send emails, write blogs and of course, run manufacturing businesses in conjunction with companies halfway across the world.

Wait, what was that last one again?

Wired reports that a growing number of entrepreneurs (who they cutely call "instapreneurs") are using sites like Zazzle, which will make your design into a t-shirt for general retail, Blurb, which will knock you up a book and Ponoko, which will make up anything from a pair of earrings like the ones pictured above, to a large-scale item of furniture. And they will make as many or as few as you like.

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Posted by diane Category: culture | current affairs | on the web
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04. 3.2008

New scanning systems mean you literally "punch in" for work (kind of)

Don't hate me for saying this, but I've never had a "proper job." I waitressed for a while (aka: worst summer of my life), worked in my Dad's factory for a week, and stacked shelves in a drugstore. I've also been a student and now I work from home in my pajamas. So this story doesn't really apply to me, but I still thought it was interesting - maybe because I have sympathy for all you wage slaves who trudge to work and punch in at some ungodly hour of the morning.

The one advantage of old clocking in systems was that you could, in a pinch, get one of your friends to clock in for you (or at least, if you were a character on Laverne and Shirley you could).

But now an increasing number of places - from Dunkin' Donuts to The New York City Parks Department - are installing biometric time clocks such as the one above, where employees must have their fingerprints scanned when they start and leave work.

According to USA Today, some employees are annoyed at this new development and say they feel spied on. But employers feel it boosts productivity, and consulting firm The International Biometric Group estimates that this industry will be worth more than $1 billion by 2011.

In other words, it may be just a matter of time before my freelance clients all send me some kind of monitoring device to make sure I'm not just LOLCat-ing my day away . . . (But seriously, how clever is this one?)

Picture via Super Warehouse.

Posted by diane Category: culture | current affairs | devices
Tags: biometric
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